March 11, 2022. – In 2021, Russia exported 2,758,393 m3 of birch plywood. In 2022, it will be less.
Companies that buy and further process plywood are mapping different options to overcome the inevitable shortage. The list looks like this:
- Alternative suppliers
- Alternative plywood types
- Alternative wood panels
- Alternative other materials
- Change of product design/construction
If the shortage seems temporary, option #1 is enough. If the situation looks severe, more options are considered. Today, 11 March 2022, it is hard to predict how long the birch plywood shortage will take. Trade politics will be twisted for a while. Plywood users will bring all the options to the table. It is a big issue. The hardwood plywood market will reorganize.
For the last decades, making a risk analysis was as interesting as making a fixed budget for office supplies like pens and papers. Because nothing ever happened. The world has changed. Plan Bs are in big demand.
However, at the moment plywood trade is a secondary problem. The primary problem is the killing and insanity in Ukraine. The longer it continues, the deeper are the wounds in every aspect of life.
